This is Beirut

Syria, Lebanon Armies Agree to Withdraw From Hosh al-Sayyed Ali

This is Beirut, 19/03 20:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army Syria Hosh al-Sayyed Ali

The Syrian army announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement and coordination framework with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on securing the border town of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, warning that any breach of the understanding by Hezbollah would be met with a firm and direct response. In a statement published by the state-run SANA news ...

Resolution 1680: A Turning Point for Lebanese Sovereignty

Mario Chartouni, 19/03 19:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Borders Israel Resolution 1680 United Nations

On May 17, 2006, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1680, a decisive text aimed at strengthening Lebanon's independence and normalizing its relations with Syria. This resolution, lesser-known than the spotlight-stealing Resolutions 1701 and 1559, deserves our attention if we are to understand the current dynamics between these ...

Lebanon Regains Control of Hosh el-Sayed Ali: Army Deployed on the Ground

This is Beirut, 19/03 11:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Hosh el-Sayed Ali Hezbollah

Units of the Lebanese Army and the Engineering Regiment entered, on Wednesday morning, the village of Hosh el-Sayed Ali, which has been under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighters. The Lebanese Armed Forces' advance in the area comes after successful negotiations between the concerned parties, supported by intensive mobilization ...

Nearly 13,000 Syrians Fled to Lebanon Since Sectarian Massacre

This is Beirut, 18/03 17:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Syrian Refugees

Nearly 13,000 Syrians fled across the borders to Lebanon since sectarian massacres on the Syrian coast earlier this month, Lebanese authorities said on Tuesday. A report from Lebanon's Disaster Risk Management Unit (DRM) obtained by AFP said 12,798 Syrians had arrived and settled in 23 different villages and towns in Lebanon's northern Akkar ...

Israel Army Says Struck Artillery in South Syria Near Ceasefire Line

This is Beirut, 18/03 16:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Israel

Israel's military said it targeted two pieces of artillery on Tuesday in an air strike in southern Syria near a boundary established by a 1974 ceasefire. "A short while ago, two cannons in southern Syria that constituted a threat to the State of Israel were struck by the [Israeli military] in the area of Khan Arnabeh in southern Syria," a ...

Iran Challenges Trump with Losing Cards in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen

Philippe Abi-Akl, 18/03 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Hezbollah Lebanon Syria Yemen Iran

Last week, UAE Diplomatic Adviser Anwar Gargash delivered a message from President Donald Trump to Iran’s leadership, proposing a revival of nuclear negotiations that his administration suspended in 2015. Trump’s message stated, “A deal with Iran is preferable to military action, as I do not seek to harm it.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali ...

Israel Says 'Striking Military Targets' in Southern Syria

This is Beirut, 17/03 21:44 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Israel Daraa SOHR

Israel's military said on Monday it was striking military sites in southern Syria, as Syrian state media reported two killed in an Israeli strike near the southern city of Daraa. "The [Israeli military] is currently striking military targets in southern Syria, including command centers and military sites containing weapons and military ...

International Donors Pledge 5.8 Billion Euros in Aid for Syria

This is Beirut, 17/03 21:38 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Syria Humanitarian Aid Brussels Youssef Rajji

The EU led the way as donors on Monday pledged $5.8 billion euros in aid for Syria at a conference in Brussels -- but the call for funding to help the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad's ouster fell short of last year as US support dries up. Western and regional powers are desperate to steer Syria onto the road to stability after 14 ...

Intense Clashes Resume on Lebanon-Syria Border

This is Beirut, 17/03 18:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army Lebanon Syria Border

Heavy clashes rekindled along the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday afternoon, north of Hermel, following intense shelling from Syrian territory on the town of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, which has been held by Hezbollah since 2013. Heavy artillery fire also resumed between Mishrifa and al-Qasr. The shelling on Hosh al-Sayyed Ali killed 7 and injured ...

Tensions Escalate at the Syrian Border: Lebanese Army on High Alert

This is Beirut, 17/03 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Hezbollah Syria Iran Border Fighting

The situation at the Lebanon-Syria border is rapidly deteriorating, following overnight clashes between Hezbollah partisans and the Syrian forces under the new authorities in Damascus. Early Monday morning, the Lebanese Army issued a statement announcing the implementation of exceptional security measures in the Al-Qasr region (north of Hermel), ...

Questionable Transition

Charles Chartouni, 17/03 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Syria

Lebanon is still dealing with the imponderables and equivocations of a very tentative peace process. The drama lies at the very heart of the transition process and the absence of a consensual approach to the problems besetting it. Initially, the ongoing actors have failed to acknowledge the nature of the transformative process and its strategic ...

Iraq Says Seized One Ton of Captagon from Syria via Turkey

This is Beirut, 16/03 19:14 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iraq Syria Turkey Captagon

Iraqi security forces have seized more than a ton of captagon, an illegal stimulant, smuggled from Syria via Turkey, the interior ministry said on Sunday. Ministry spokesman General Moqdad Miri said the Narcotics Directorate "seized a truck from Syria, bound for Iraq, via Turkey, transporting 1.1 tons" of the synthetic drug in tablet ...

syria